Gentlemen's Poker Club Tournament Regulations - Bucharest
GENERAL GAME RULES – VALUELESS TOKENS
ORGANIZER'S TOURNAMENTS
1.Floor Decisions
The Tournament Director and Floor must consider fairness and the spirit of the game as their primary priorities when making decisions. Unusual circumstances may occasionally, in the interest of fairness, dictate decisions over the technical rules. The Tournament Director's decision is final.
2. Players' responsibilities
Players must follow the following general rules: verify their registration receipt information and seating at the table, protect their cards, clearly express their intentions during the game, follow the action at the table, act only when it is their turn, defend their right to act, keep their cards visible, keep their chips correctly stacked, remain at the table when they are active in the hand, signal when they notice a mistake, move as soon as they have been dealt to the table, respect the one-player-one-hand rule, know and obey the rules, behave in a civilized manner and generally contribute to the proper conduct of the tournament:
3. Official terminology in poker tournaments
Official terms that designate an action or bet are simple, unambiguous statements that must be made promptly. These are: bet, raise, call, fold, check, all-in, pot (only in pot limit). Local terms must also meet these conditions. The use of gestures or non-standard language is done at the player's risk because it may lead to a decision other than the one the player intended. It is the player's responsibility to convey his intentions very clearly.
4. Player Identification
Players entering a tournament will be required to present valid identification and register with the Organizer's system in order to enter the tournament. You will be required to provide certain personal details about yourself in order to register with the Organizer's system. You acknowledge and agree that your personal information is accurate and will be stored by us and used in the Organizer's system and may be processed by us, our subsidiaries, our agents and third parties who provide services to us.
You also expressly agree to share your personal information with our affiliates for the purposes set out above. We and other members of our corporate group may occasionally send you news or information about new services and events. If you do not wish to receive information from the Organizer, you may opt out of receiving communications from us by following the instructions included in each newsletter.
5.Electronic and communication devices
Electronic devices are not permitted to be placed on the playing surface, which includes any part of the poker table, at any time. Players are permitted to place objects on the table cloth. – For the avoidance of doubt, the term Electronic Device includes, but is not limited to, the following devices:
- Telephone – Players may not talk on the phone while at the table, whether or not they are in a hand. They must step away from the table to make calls.
- Phones, Tablets, and Laptops – Players may use these devices at the table, as long as they do not slow down the game. Laptops may not be plugged into an external power source while at the table.
- Periscope, Twitch, etc… – The use of Apps or any other type of devices with broadcasting capability to stream the tournament while it is being played is not allowed.
- Portable Recording Devices – These devices and the use of recording devices of any kind are prohibited throughout the poker room.
- There will be no electronic devices allowed at any televised table or main event final tables.
- Distraction from the table – The organizer reserves the right to ask players to cease the use of any and all electronic devices or any other items if the staff believes that they are slowing down the pace of play, or otherwise affecting other players at your table. Players may contact the staff if they believe that another player is slowing down the game due to the use of books, magazines, electronic devices.
6. Official language
The house will clearly post and announce the acceptable languages at the table. (English and/or Romanian)
Setting, breaking and balancing tables
7. SEATING AT THE TABLE
Seating/Stacks – All players will be randomly assigned and non-transferable. Players are responsible for checking their registration receipt to ensure accuracy of their seating.
Players who are incorrectly seated and playing a hand will be moved to the correct seat after the current hand is completed with their current stack.
8. Alternates, Late registration and Re-entry
Late entries and re-entries will receive full stacks. They will be seated and assume the rights and responsibilities of any position except between the small blind and the button.
Whether we have paid reservations or not, when we have a waiting list we will put the stacks on the table.
Identification – All players must assume responsibility for having valid identification to take their seats at the start and restart of the tournament. Any player with an invalid or false identification will be penalized up to and including disqualification.
Re-buys – Players who want to re-buy cannot lose any hand. If the player announces his intention to re-buy before a hand, he will play the chips he already has and the chips from the re-buy.
9. Special Needs
Tournament staff reserves the right to adjust table seating to accommodate players with special needs throughout the tournament and to balance tables at the start of the tournament.
10.Breaking tables
The order of the table breaks in the tournament will be made public at the end of the late registration period. The organizer reserves the right to change the order of the table breaks. Players at a broken table assume the rights and responsibilities of the positions (button, small blind, big blind). They will not receive cards between the button and the small blind.
The tables will be broken by randomization. The supervisor will shuffle the place cards and distribute them from booth 1 clockwise or the breaking will be done automatically by the software.
11.Balancing tables
Play will stop at any table where there are fewer than 3 players. Players will be moved from the big blind to the worst position, never between the button and the small blind.
In the later stages, table balancing will be done at the discretion of the Tournament Director.
Pots/Showdown
12. Verbal statements: Books speak.
Verbal statements about the contents of a player's cards do not count. At the discretion of the Floor, any player who willfully declares cards other than those he holds may be penalized.
13. Hand showdown and winning hand
Winning Hand – A player must show all of their cards to collect the pot. This must be done even when playing the board. If only one player is left with cards, they do not need to show a winning hand to collect the pot. For example, Player B bets on the river and Player A calls. Player B mucks, leaving Player A the only one with cards in his hand. Player A then wins the pot without having to show his cards.
Shown Hand – A hand is considered shown when all cards are placed face up on the table. Cards shown from the hand etc. are not considered shown. Hands cannot be read and cannot win the pot until they are shown.
14. Live cards at showdown
Throwing the cards face down on the table does not mean the hand is dead. The player can change his mind, as long as the cards can be 100% identified and retrieved. A hand is dead when the dealer mucks it or any other way makes the hand unrecoverable or unidentifiable.
15. Showdown and irregularities
A: To win a pot, both cards must be shown. Partial showing of cards is not considered a valid hand.
16.Showdown for All-in
All cards will be turned face up once a player is all-in and all action is complete. If a player accidentally mucks their cards, TD reserves the right to remove them from the muck if they are clearly identifiable. Players who intentionally muck their hand in an all-in situation may be penalized.
Side Pot Action: In scenarios where multiple players are participating in a side pot and the main pot has an all-in player, all players who reach showdown on the river must show the same cards as the all-in player. The dealer is instructed to turn over all live cards and all live hands have the ability to collect the pot.
17. Order of Display of Cards
After all action has been completed, the player who made the last aggression must show his cards first, then the action continues clockwise. If there has been no aggression throughout the hand, the player to the left of the button will show his cards first. If there has been no action on the river, the player who should act first will show his cards and the action continues clockwise.
Refusal to Show Cards – Players who refuse to show their cards, and also refuse to fold: the dealer will be instructed to call the floor (the dealer cannot turn over the cards). The floor will ask the player to show their cards if there is no fold. The player will receive a 5 second countdown, after which the floor will announce that their hand is dead and will give the player a delay of play penalty. No player at the table will be able to turn over these cards, and in the event that this happens the cards will be live, and the player who turned over the cards will receive a penalty.
If there is a legitimate concern about collusion, players can ask the dealer to set the cards aside and ask the Floor to review the hand.
18. Request to see the books
Any player who has reached the showdown may ask to see the cards of other players if they still have cards. If they muck, they lose the right to ask to see the cards of other players. All cards requested to be seen are live and participate in the pot. Players who have not reached the showdown stage on the river may not ask to see the cards.
A: Players who run out of cards at showdown or have folded their cards, ending up in the muck, lose any privilege of requesting a hand reveal.
B: If there is a bet on the river, any Caller has the right to ask the aggressor to reveal his hand, as long as his cards are recognized.
19. Board Game
To play the board, the player must show their hand in full. Discarding or showing their cards partially results in losing the rights to the pot.
20. Uneven number of chips
In the case of a split-pot, the chips will be divided equally into the smallest denominations, and if this number is unequal, the remaining chip will go to the first player involved in the hand after the button.
21.Side Pots
Each Side-pot will be divided separately.
22. Contested hands and pots
Any irregularity related to the hand or pot may be contested until substantial action is taken in the next hand.
General Procedures
23.New hand and new blinds
A new level begins when the clock reaches zero. A new hand is considered the moment the first shuffle is made. If a hand is started at the old blinds even though the time has passed zero, it is continued, and the blinds will change starting with the next hand.
24.Chip Race
A: When the chip race is scheduled, it will start from position 1, with a maximum of one chip for each player. A player cannot be eliminated in the chip race procedure, they will receive at least one chip of the minimum denomination.
B: Players will need to keep their chips visible and are encouraged to witness the procedure.
C: If at the end of the chip cool procedure a player still has chips removed from the game, they will be exchanged for chips of equal denomination. Chips that do not reach a minimum denomination will be removed from the game without compensation.
25. Visible, countable cards and tokens.
A: Chips should be kept in plain sight, by denomination, so they are easy to count. It is recommended to keep chips in vertical stacks of 20 pieces each.
B: It is at the discretion of the Floor or Tournament Director to chip-up the chips of one or more players.
C: Players are required to keep their cards visible at all times.
26. Package change
The deck of cards is changed at the discretion of the house, at the request of the dealer (if he notices a possible problem) or at the decision of the Floor or Tournament Director.
Players cannot request a deck change.
27. Rebuys
Players cannot lose any hand. Players must announce their intention to rebuy before the start of a new hand.
28.Rabbit Hunting
Revealing the cards on the board for a hand that has ended is prohibited.
29. Request for time
Players may ask another player for time if they believe that the other player has taken too long to make a decision. However, the decision rests with the Floor or Tournament Director if the other player has had enough time to think. A player who has been given time has 25 seconds to think plus a 5 second countdown to make a decision. If the player has a bet before him and the extra time has passed, his hand is dead. If there are no bets and his time has expired, he will automatically check. The Tournament Director may adjust the time for a player if he repeatedly slows down the game.
Player present/Eligible for hand
30. In your place and living hands
To receive a live hand, a player must be in their seat when the last card dealt reaches the button. Players who are not in their seat cannot look at their cards and their hand is immediately killed. They lose their blinds if they are not in their seat. In their seat means touching the chair.
31.At the table with action pending
Players with live hands (all-in or action complete) will be required to remain at the table for all betting rounds and showdown. Leaving the table means the hand is not protected and the player may be penalized.
Button/Blinds
32. Dead button
The term dead button is used when the player in the small blind has been eliminated in the previous hand. Although there is no player in the next button position, he is played in dead position so as not to change the course of the blinds.
33. Avoiding Blinds
Players who intentionally avoid entering the blinds (when breaking tables) will receive a penalty.
34.Heads-up button
In Heads-up, the button is the small blind and receives the last card, acts first pre-flop and second in subsequent betting rounds. At the start of Heads-up, the button can be adjusted so that a player is not the big blind twice.
General Rules for Dealing Cards
35.Misdeal and compromise package
Misdeals include, but are not necessarily limited to:
2 or more visible cards
The first card dealt to the small or big blind
Cards dealt to a player who is not entitled to play
A participant entitled to play did not receive cards
Players can receive two consecutive cards on the button.
In a misdeal, the redeal is an exact re-play: the button does not move, no new players are seated, and the limits remain the same. Cards are dealt to the penalized or absent players, then their hands are canceled. The original deal and the redeal count as one hand for a penalized player, not two.
If there is substantial action, it cannot be declared a misdeal, the hand continues.
If the deck is incorrect: the hand will stop and all chips will be returned. Once the hand is over, the possibility of contesting the incorrectness of the deck will be based on Rule 22.
36. Substantial action
The substantial action is:
A: Any two actions in a row that involve chips in the pot
B: Any combination of 3 actions in a row (check, bet, raise, call, fold)
Posting blinds does not count.
37. Button with few cards
A player on the button who is dealt too few cards must immediately announce this. He may be dealt an extra card even if there is substantial action. If the player acts and then realizes that he has too few cards, his hand is dead.
38. Burns after substantial action
Burning cards is to protect the deck, not to preserve card order. If there is substantial action and a hand is killed because it received too many cards, the hand continues normally and the cards are burned normally.
39. Four cards on the flop
If the flop reveals that it has 4 cards and not 3, the floor will be called. The dealer will shuffle the 4 cards and the floor will select one at random to become the next burned card.
Bets/Raises
40.Betting methods
A: Bets can be made verbally or by pushing chips. If a player makes both, the first action stands. If there is a contradiction and both actions are made almost simultaneously, it is at the discretion of the Floor.
B: Verbal statements must be general (Call, Raise) or the number of chips (one thousand). They can also be combined (Raise one thousand)
41.Call Methods
A: Saying “CALL”
B: Pushing chips equal to the value of the previous bet
C: Throwing a chip, of any denomination
D: Pushing more chips of equal or lower value than the previous bet
42.Raising Methods
A: Pushing the chips in one move
B: Verbalizing the intention and amount before pushing the chips
It is the player's responsibility to make their intention clear.
43. The Value of the Raise
A: A raise must be at least equal to the previous highest full bet.
A player will be required to make a minimum raise if he throws multiple chips of different denominations that exceed at least 50% of the value of the previous bet.
B: Clearly announcing “Raise” and its value. (“Raise eight thousand”)
44. Pushing a high value chip
If a large denomination card is folded without first announcing the intention to raise, this will be a CALL.
If there is NO action ahead, pushing a single high value chip means betting its entire value.
If “RAISE” is announced and a high value chip is thrown, without specifying the amount, the raise will be its full value.
45.Multiple Chip Bets
A: If there is a bet of 1100, and the next player throws in 2 chips of 1000, this is considered a call.
B: If there are chips of different denominations and they exceed the initial bet, it is considered a call, only if the difference does not exceed 50% of the value of the previous bet. If the value is exceeded by more than 50%, it becomes a raise, and the player is required to complete up to a minimum raise.
46.Adding chips to the previous bet
A: To avoid confusion, players with previous bets will be asked to state their intention.
B: In the face of a raise, the action of removing chips from the table is a minimum call or raise. A player cannot remove his chips and then fold.
C: If chips are added, without verbal action, rules 41 and 43 will be considered.
47. Reopening options
A: If a player has had the right to action, and then an incomplete raise follows, he no longer has any open options. (Maxim Call)
B: To reopen the options of a player who has already acted, a minimum raise will have to be made after him.
48. Number of Raises
There is no Raise-> Re-Raise limit.
49.Accepted actions
Poker is a game of constant attention and observation. It is the players' duty to ascertain the value of their opponents' bets before calling. If a player receives incorrect information from the dealer or players and calls, they will have to complete the entire bet.
50. Stocks in a row
A: Players must wait their turn and act verbally or by pushing chips.
B: Players must wait their full turn. It is not acceptable to discard cards before the opponent's full bet.
51.Mandatory statements.Undercall
A: Verbal statements obligate players to the current full action.
B: If a player pushes a number of chips less than the chips, wishing to call an action prior to the last bet, he is obliged to complete the full bet. It is at the discretion of the Tournament Director whether the player may fold the hand, losing the chips of the undercall.
52. Incorrect bets, Underbets and Underraises
If there is a raise less than the minimum, and subsequent players act on that bet, and the mistake is noticed, all players will have to complete up to the minimum bet.
53.Out-of-Turn Action
Any action taken before the player's turn is resumed when the action reaches him. The player who took the Out-of-Turn action will be penalized and will be forced to keep the action, if the action up to him does not change. If the action changes before it reaches him, the player may resume the action and has all options open. The out-of-turn fold remains.
54. Pot size
Players may request a pot count only in pot limit games. Dealers will not count the pot.
55. Invalid declarations
If a player does not have a bet before him and declares:
A: CALL, this will be automatically checked
B: RAISE, then the player will have to make a bet greater than or equal to the minimum allowed
If a player declares "CHECK" and has a bet before, it can be a maximum call or fold, it cannot raise.
56. String bets, raises
It is the dealer's duty to announce when it is time to string bet or raise. The bet will be equal to the value of the first chip(s) that hit the table or the minimum value of a bet, if these do not cover that value.
57. Unclear or non-standard bets
Players may use unofficial bets or gestures at their own risk. These may be interpreted differently from what the player actually meant.
58.Non-standard folds
If a player rolls without having an action before his Out-of-Turn, he will receive a penalty.
59. Premature or conditional declarations
A: Conditional statements for future actions are discouraged and may be penalized.
EX: “if you bet, I raise”
B: If a player announces “BET” and the next player announces “CALL” before the first player finishes betting and announces the amount, he may be forced to pay any amount announced by the first player, even ALL-IN.
60.Counting an opponent's chips
Players, dealers and the Floor can estimate the value of a player's stack.
A player may request the exact value of a stack only at the time of an all-in bet and only when it is his turn to act. The exact stack count will be made by the dealer or the Floor.
61.Over-bets for the rest
Bets are not used to exchange chips. Pushing multiple chips of different denominations, announcing a bet smaller than the value of a chip, can confuse the dealer and the players at the table.
EX: if there is a bet of 1100, and the next player pushes a 5000 chip and a 100 to receive 4000 remaining, without announcing "CALL" this is considered a Raise.
62. All-in with hidden chips
An acknowledged all-in bet commits the player's entire stack to that hand, including any chips hidden from view. This player also cannot take advantage of these hidden chips, for example: Player A goes all-in for 21,000 and Player B calls with a stack of 100,000. After pushing his chips into the middle, Player A reveals two 1,000 chips under his hand. If Player A wins the pot, he will only be paid 21,000. If Player A loses the pot, Player B will receive all 23,000 chips and Player A will be eliminated from the tournament. Exception: Player A goes all-in for 50,000 and Player B calls with a stack of 55,000. After pushing his chips into the middle, Player A reveals a 10,000 chip under his hand. If player A wins the hand, he will only be paid 50,000. If he loses the hand, player B will receive 55,000 chips.
miscellaneous
63. Chips hidden on the table or in transit
All chips must be carried in chip racks and remain visible at all times. Players who carry chips without keeping them visible may have their chips confiscated and may even be disqualified. Confiscated chips will be removed from the game.
64. Lost and Found Cards
Any found chip whose owner cannot be determined will be eliminated from the tournament.
65. Hands killed and exposed by mistake
A: Players must protect their cards at all times, including when they are forced to wait for the showdown.
If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, it is at the discretion of the Floor or Tournament Director whether the hand can be recovered and reactivated.
If a player has made a bet and has not yet received a call, and their hand is killed, they can get their bet back. If there is a call to their bet, the chips remain in the pot.
B: Any hand can win the pot even if it was not initially exposed correctly, but is 100% identifiable.
Etiquette and Penalties
67. One player, one hand
Players are required to protect other tournament participants at all times. Therefore, whether in a hand or not, players may not:
To disclose the contents of live or folded cards.
To give advice or criticize the game before the action is over.
To read a hand that has not been shown.
Discuss hands or strategies with spectators.
Seek or receive advice from an outside source.
The one player one hand rule will apply.
68. Books on display
A player who exposes his cards with pending action may be penalized, up to and including declaring the hand dead. The penalty will begin at the end of the hand. All players at the table have the right to see the exposed cards.
69.Collusion
Poker is an individual game. Soft play, chip dumping, collusion to allow players to get past the bubble will not be allowed and will be penalized.
70. Etiquette violations
Repeated violations of etiquette will result in penalties imposed by the Tournament Director. Examples include, but are not limited to, touching other players' chips and cards when not necessary, delaying play, repeatedly acting out of turn, scattering chips, intentionally betting where the dealer cannot reach, excessive talking. In addition, excessive celebration with theatrical gestures, inappropriate behavior (physical actions, gestures, or conduct) may be penalized. These violations of conduct also include abusive behavior towards other players, scolding other players for how they have played or are playing the tournament.
Vulgar language towards other players, tournament staff, venue staff will not be tolerated. This behavior will be penalized. Repeated vulgar language not directed at players, staff, personnel will be penalized.
71.Warnings, Penalties and Disqualifications
The Floor or Tournament Director may sanction any act that, in the absolute discretion of the Tournament Staff, is in conflict with the official rules or the best interests of the event.
At its sole and absolute discretion, the Organizer may impose sanctions (listed below), ranging from a verbal warning, up to and including disqualification and exclusion from all Organizer events. Sanctions will be invoked in the event of soft-play, disruptive or abusive behavior. A sanction may be imposed if a player throws a card off the table, forcefully throws cards to turn certain cards face up, violates the one-player-one-hand rule or engages in similar behaviors. Abuse of other players, organizers, or staff will not be tolerated.
Sanctions will include, but are not limited to – verbal warning, one or more hand penalties, one or more table round penalties (one table round is calculated as as many penalty hands as there are players at the table), dead hand, elimination from the event, disqualification from the event (confiscation of any prize), ban from participating in a tournament, exclusion from all organizer events.
Escalation – Sanctions may not always be imposed in a sequential order of severity. Tournament staff may disqualify a player for a first offense if the actions are deemed severe enough. Players should be aware that any actions worthy of a sanction can result in a wide range of disciplinary actions, even for a first offense.
The player will be warned not to sit at the table if he has received one or more penalty hands.
If a player receives, for example, 8 penalty hands at the end of the day, and only 3 pass, he will start the next day with the remaining 5 penalty hands. The same will happen with table breaking and table balancing.
Players eliminated from the tournament will receive the rights to the tournament position they were in when eliminated. Example: a player is banned from the venue for various reasons, and at that time is in the last 15 players out of 100 paid seats, he will receive the prize for 15th place and his chips will be withdrawn from the tournament. and for table breaking and swinging.
Disqualification – Players who are disqualified from the tournament will have their chips confiscated, removed from the game, their buy-in will remain part of the prize pool, and they will not be entitled to any prize money. The disqualified player must leave the tournament area immediately.
Tournament chips have no cash value and are the exclusive property of the Organizer and may not be removed from the tournament(s) or event area. Players found to have transferred chips from one event to another or from one player to another will be subject to sanctions up to and including disqualification and exclusion from all Organizer live events.
72.Ante
The format will be used with a single player placing an Ante (Big Blind Ante), and the Ante will go directly into the pot.
In the event that the player does not have enough chips to post both the Big Blind and the full Ante, the Big Blind will have priority, and the difference will go towards the Ante.
The ante will not be reduced depending on the number of players at the table, it will always be placed in full, including at Heads-up.
73. Messy package
When there are still cards to be dealt in a hand (flop, turn, river) and the deck was accidentally dropped from the hand, the following procedure will be followed:
An attempt will be made to reconstruct the original package, if possible.
If this is not possible, the cards from the deck (without muck or burned cards) will be collected, shuffled and cut, and the game will continue with the new deck.
If the deck has been shuffled with the burned cards or muck, it will be shuffled and cut with these cards and continue with the newly formed deck.
74. Cards given prematurely
The board and burn cards will sometimes be dealt prematurely, before the action on that street has finished. The procedures for these situations are as follows:
Premature flop, keep the burned card, put the prematurely dealt cards back into the deck, shuffle the entire deck of cards and deal a new flop
Premature turn, the burned card is squared, the premature turn is returned to the deck and the entire deck is shuffled, after which a new turn will be dealt without burning any more cards (the “original” river will not be kept)
Premature river, keep the burned card, the premature river card is returned to the deck and the entire deck is shuffled, after which a new river card will be dealt without burning any more cards.
75. The Random Rule will apply in special situations
In situations not covered by the rules, the TD will be able to use the Random rule to resolve that situation.